Selecting and Assessing the Family‐Friendly Community: Adaptive Strategies of Middle‐Class, Dual‐Earner Couples

Abstract

Using a life course perspective, this study analyzes the adaptive strategy of community selection utilized by middle-class dual-earner couples, as well as the perceived family friendliness of their communities. Although many common concerns exist (most paramount being safety, jobs, and housing quality), parents are more apt than nonparents to mention the importance of schools, parks, libraries, and community events. For women, safety and proximity to their spouses' jobs are stronger considerations than they are for men. Although respondents mention many similar family-friendly features, only some matter in predicting their overall positive evaluations of community family friendliness. Community is discussed as being an understudied dimension of work-family policy and research.

Work–Life Balance

“…Employees have a more adaptive platform if organizations introduce favorable practices, including flexible scheduling to provide more control and autonomy in their job (Butler et al, 2005). Another strategy used by women was to select communities based on safety and proximity to their spouse's job (Sweet et al, 2005).…”

Her earnings: Exploring variation in wives’ earning contributions across six major Asian groups and Whites

“…This departs from recent research that measures wives' contribution as percentage share of couples' total income (Raley et al, 2006;Moen and Sweet, 2003;Nock, 2001;Stier and Mandel, 2009;Sweet et al, 2005;Winkler et al, 2005;Winslow-Bowe, 2009). Such scholarly inquires are based on dual-earner couples and conceptualize wives earnings relative to the husbands' earnings.…”

“…Findings testing the revised independence hypothesis predict that while the increase in husband's income has positive effect on marital outcomes, the effect of the rise in wives' income is not so unambiguous (Brennan et al, 2001). The increase in dual earner neo-traditional couples as a consequence of many years of women's integration into the labor market can be seen as a valid application of the revised independence hypothesis (Sweet et al, 2005). associated with immigrant wives' economic contributions.…”

Child-Care Infrastructures and the Perception of Community Family-Friendliness : Parents with Young Children in 25 Provinces in Seoul

“…가족친화적 지역사회 구성요소나 서비스 인프라의 영 향력이 지역주민의 개인 및 가구 특성에 따라 달라지는지 알 아보기도 하였다 (Sweet, Swisher, & Moen, 2005;Park, 2010;Cha & Lee, 2011;Noh & Chin, 2012).…”

“…(Swisher, Sweet, & Moen, 2004;Sweet, Swisher, & Moen, 2005;Park, 2010;Cha & Lee, 2011;Noh & Chin, 2012 (Jeong, 2009;Lim, 2009;Choi, 2012) …”